Spijkers en Spijkers' Deco Gem

This ad campaign for Spijkers en Spijkers' fall '09 collection, shot by Alique, has totally blown me away. I've been a fan of these Dutch twins for several years and have a very cute black satin and washed silk mini-dress from their F/W 2006 collection, but while that dress is very pretty and shows their signature geometric pattern-cutting it lacks the sense of a comprehensive vision I see in their current collection. Here they continue their geometric cuts, but they've taken on more of a deco feel and are combined with interesting wave-like rope detailing on some of the necklines. Feast your eyes on their seductive medley of jewel toned satins topped off with elegant turbans, glossed eyes, berry stained lips and plenty of sex appeal.

Erdem + Smythson = Love!

My love of Erdem's gorgeously crafted clothes and beautifully evocative prints is well documented on this blog, so I was immensely excited to read this morning that he is doing a collaboration with Smythson on a line of notebooks and diaries. The previews of them on their blog aren't the best quality, but his colourful florals and chic designs are definitely in attendance. The line will be available in November. Since it looks unlikely I will be able to afford one of his dresses for a long time, I will definitely have to make the trip uptown to pick one of these up.

The Most Beautiful Woman

Can I please wake up tomorrow morning and look like this- pretty, pretty please?







American model and actress Jerry Hall, photographed in the Studio 7th November1980. For the book 'Lichfield - The Most Beautiful Women'.

What I want to be wearing right now...

...is Cheryl Tiegs' plush plum fox fur and black lace dress- too bad it's 85 degrees outside right now.



Cheryl Tiegs at Steve Rubell's birthday party, hosted by Halston, in 1978.

I'll take off my cape for you

One of the most perfect starlet's movie wardrobes ever was Constance Bennett's in 1937's Topper. Starring opposite the incredibly handsome Cary Grant, Bennett plays the ghost of a socialite who, unlike most movie spirits, is able to change her outfits for every occasion. She is killed and becomes a ghost wearing the most amazing lame full-length bias cut gown with dolman sleeves and an ermine and silk cape. Most of the photos I found from the movie show her wearing this glamourous outfit.



Then as she busies herself attempting to loosen Topper, her husband's boss', inhibitions she also finds the time to change into a series of striking day suits, elegant dresses, various fur coats and some rather amazing gowns by Samuel Lange. The rest of her wardrobe was supposedly designed by the legendary Irene, even though she is uncredited. Sadly the internet seems to be lacking in screenshots of the movie, but when I finally get a copy of the movie I will put some up. For now enjoy the original trailer where you can see the lame gown in action.

Jean Louis Scherrer Haute Couture

I religiously follow the blog for Decades, the famous vintage couture store in LA- even though I could never ever afford their prices, they always have the most amazing pieces that are in immaculate condition which they update daily. Cameron Silver, the owner, really started the trend of celebrities wearing vintage and is definitely one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met about fashion history. If you love vintage you should definitely take a look at the blog to see some of the best of the best, and to often see items right before you see them on the red carpet.

The other day they had this rather gorgeous, 40s inspired late 1970s Jean Louis Scherrer Haute Couture evening dress. I immediately recognized it from an image I'd seen while doing some photo research for my work the day before- I went back and found it, so here is a photo from 1980, at a Pierre Cardin retrospective, of Patricia Kennedy Lawford wearing it while talking to the ultimate social x-ray, Nan Kempner. Decades styled it with the buttons to the back, but I actually rather prefer it how it was originally shown with the buttons to the front as the cummerbund seems to sit better.

Come in out of the darkness

My girl crush on Catherine McNeil knows no bounds- when I saw this editorial in the new Numero #105 my heart spasmed and died from her beauty. Greg Kadel shot her as a fierce urban warrior with bleached eyebrows, two-tone hair and lots of studs. I hate those studded moto boots with a passion, but she even makes them look good. And for all of those who say she only has one look- does it really matter when that one look is that stunning?

Links à la Mode

Style Cravings & Indulgences

Edited by Jordana

This week’s Links à la Mode round-up from Independent Fashion Bloggers provides a variety of sweet treats. We’ve got hair how-to’s from Fasshonaburu and Bonne-Vie, sorbet inspirations from Idiosyncratic Style, Paris Couture collection picks from Fashion Pulse Daily and interviews galore, among other juicy additions.

I also want to give a special shout-out to IFB editor Ashe Mischief of Dramatis Personae, who is celebrating her 2 year blog-aversary with a special giveaway.

Links à la Mode : July 23rd

• A Typical Atypical: A look at the unexpected fashion gems on offer at this year’s new designers exhibition in London – cut-out dresses, paper-like jewelry and more!


• Bonne-Vie: Pincurl project – experimenting with glamorous retro style techniques to create a saucy updo!


• Confessions of a Fashion Editor: Polling for the next Vogue Cover Girl – Bonnie Wright’s first fashion shoot.


• Denimaniac: Camo’s SS 2010 “Horses” collection and thoughts of Meryl Streep…


• Dramatis Personae: Celebrating a two year anniversary with a great giveaway – $50 gift card to BeautyTicket.com!


• Duper: Interview with Raoul Keil, founder of NINETEEN74 and Schon! Magazine.


• Fashion Cents: How to get glam for a movie date so that there is real life lights, camera, action!


• Fashion is My Crush: It’s a mosh pit: A studded DIY belt, some jellies from the kids section at Payless and some concrete comfort.


• Fashion Pulse Daily: Hand-picked favorite looks from 10 of the Paris Couture collections.


• Fasshonaburu:Finding a new hair dresser and how to break up with your old one.


• Idiosyncratic Style: A design board of inspiring comparisons of cool sorbet treats and summer fashion choices.


• Retro Chick: Sunglasses to flatter your face.


• Shop Diary: Cozy up with a snood for fall and how to improvise in these recessionary times.


• Style Symmetry: Interview with Cammila of Dressed Up Like a Lady.


• The Coveted: Turning Red, How to go monochromatic…


• The Musings of Ondo Lady: A look at Style Sample Magazine – featuring articles about a wide variety of bloggers across the world.


• Unfunded: Drooling over the sexy styles of Brandon Boyd and Robert Pattinson.


• V is for Olive: Inspired by a road trip through the American West - taking color palette ideas from nature and applying them to your own summer wardrobe.


• WorkChic: Teamed with Polyvore to show examples of a blouse makeover by style and your office type.

Julius Shulman, RIP

The greatest architectural photographer of all time, in my opinion, Julius Shulman, died the other day at the age of 98. Still rather active up until his death (he was still shooting and recently went to an opening of an exhibition that included his work at the new Annenberg Center for Photography in LA), he became famous for his close working relationships with many of the most important modernist architects of the mid twentieth century: Richard Neutra, Rudolf M. Schindler, Gregory Ain, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Eames, Raphael S. Soriano, John Lautner, Eero Saarinen, Albert Frey, Pierre Koenig, Harwell Harris and many more. His photographs of the Case Study Houses are legendary in both the architecture and photographic world- actually all of his photographs are as he had such a singularly exquisite eye that could find compositions like no other. In one of the articles I read following his death I saw this quote from Robert Sobieszek, the late curator of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: "He has a sense of visual bravura of composition, so that he can take a rather mundane house and make it look exciting, and take a spectacular house and make it look triply spectacular." As a photographer who has mainly concentrated my work on interiors I know how difficult it is to make every location look visually stimulating in every image, so I have long been inspired by his immaculate work. There is a book, actually set of books, on his work, Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered, that I want more than anything at the moment, but the heavy price tag sets it currently beyond my reach- not that that stopped me from spending several long moments admiring all the photographs in it the other day when I was at Dia Beacon, just to find out half an hour later of his death. Definitely one of most inspirational people to me as an artist, he will be missed.


Case Study House #22,(playboy), 1960
Los Angeles, CA
Pierre Koenig, architect



Kaufmann House, 1947
Palm Springs, CA
Richard Neutra, architect



Case Study House #21, 1958
Los Angeles, CA
Pierre Koenig, architect



Case Study Home #20 / Bass House, 1958
Altadena, CA
Buff, Straub and Hensman, architects



Drake House, 1952
Phoenix, AZ
Blaire Drake, architect



Case Study House #22, (daytime pool), 1960
Los Angeles, CA
Pierre Koenig, architect



Chuey House, 1958
Los Angeles, CA
Richard Neutra, architect

Glamour Girl

Anyone who knows me knows that I am completely obsessed with glamour- my closet is stuffed to the rafters with long gowns, sequins, satins, feathers, fur and lace so I am always on the lookout for editorials that satisfy my desire for always more, more, more of these. Josh Olins' editorial for Vogue Russia's August issue definitely quenches my craving- and can't you just see these looks sparkling on an oligarch's girlfriend?